Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” Nehemiah 2:17 NIV
There are times in our lives when we realize our defense against the enemy is broken down. We find ourselves vulnerable, making poor decisions and ultimately in a place we never intended to be. Satan has a field day tormenting us with guilt and shame. That’s where the nation of Israel found themselves in the days of Jeremiah. Habitual sin that was never taken care of, never forsaken, rendered them defenseless. The enemy came in and laid siege to Jerusalem, destroyed the temple, broke down the walls and burned the city as they carried the people off into captivity. They were exiled for seventy years, the amount of time prescribed by God for their disobedience, and then, just like he promised, they were permitted to return to their beloved city. You see, God never gives up on his people!
In the first year of King Cyrus, the king issued a decree concerning the temple of God in Jerusalem. Let the temple be rebuilt as a place to present sacrifices, and let its foundations be laid. Ezra 6:3 NIVa
After enduring captivity, subject to the desires of the enemy, rebuilding had to begin, and it started with the temple. Rebuilding always starts with the temple! The new testament tells us that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. If the enemy has led you down the wrong path, has held you captive, and you are breaking free, the first step to rebuilding is to make things right with God. Repair the temple! David modeled this after his sin with Bathsheba.
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
and justified when you judge.
Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
you taught me wisdom in that secret place.
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.
Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Psalms 51:1-12 NIV
David modeled the confession needed to begin rebuilding a right relationship with God, and Nehemiah understood that rebuilding the temple was only the start. That’s why he said, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” Even after the temple was rebuilt the people in Jerusalem were still living in disgrace. Why? Because they were still vulnerable to enemy attack. The wall of defense and the gates had not yet been repaired.
Rebuilding the temple is the first place to start but if that’s all we do we fall short and remain vulnerable to another attack! We need to address the larger problem. While getting back from captivity and re-establishing temple worship was cause to celebrate, Nehemiah understood that if the walls and gates weren’t repaired it would just be a matter of time before they found themselves being carried off to captivity again. That’s a painful cycle, and if you find yourself caught in a perpetual battle with sin, don’t rest until no gaps remain in your wall of defense and your gates are locked in place!
So what do we do when we find ourselves in captivity? Like David, we confess and forsake our sin. We find our way out and we rebuild the temple. But we don’t stop there! We look at the deeper problem and we fix it. We rebuild the walls and gates so the enemy can’t get back in.